Avalanche's Landeskog returns for Game 3 after 3-year NHL absence

Gabriel Landeskog is back.

The Avalanche captain suited up for Colorado's 2-1 Game 3 loss in overtime against the Dallas Stars in Denver on Wednesday night for his first NHL game in nearly three years - a span of 1,032 days, per the NHL.

Landeskog registered 13:16 of ice time over 18 shifts during the loss. He didn't record a shot on goal but did have six hits in the game.

Landeskog previously last played an NHL game in Game 6 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final, where he raised the Cup after the Avalanche defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning.

He underwent knee cartilage transplant surgery in May 2023 - a procedure no NHL player has successfully returned from. The knee surgery was his third in a 15-month span.

The 32-year-old recently suited up in two games with the AHL's Colorado Eagles while on a conditioning stint, recording a goal and an assist.

Colorado activated Landeskog off injured reserve on Monday. He participated in warmups ahead of Game 2 but was ultimately scratched.

Landeskog notched 30 goals and 29 assists in 51 games during the 2021-22 regular season. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound power forward was a force during Colorado's Cup run that spring, notching 22 points in 20 playoff games.